How to fill out unemployment form correctly for NYS Department of Labor claim
I'm trying to file my initial unemployment claim with NYS Department of Labor but I'm really confused about some of the questions on the form. Like when they ask about my last day of work - do I put the last day I actually worked or the day my employment ended? And what's the difference between being laid off vs terminated? I worked at a restaurant that closed permanently due to rent issues. Also confused about the weekly benefit amount calculation section - do I need to calculate this myself or does the system do it automatically? Really don't want to mess this up and delay my claim.
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Carlos Mendoza
For your last day of work, put the actual last day you performed work duties, not when you got the notice. Since your restaurant closed permanently, that would be considered a layoff, not a termination. The system calculates your weekly benefit amount automatically based on your wage history, so don't worry about doing that math yourself. Just make sure you have your Social Security number and employment history for the last 18 months ready.
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Ingrid Larsson
•Thank you! So even though the restaurant closed I should select 'laid off' not 'business closed'? There were so many similar options I wasn't sure.
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Zainab Mahmoud
Make sure you answer the availability questions correctly too. You need to indicate you're able and available for work. Don't put restrictions on your job search unless you have legitimate limitations. The NYS Department of Labor takes those responses seriously for determining eligibility.
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Ava Williams
•what if you can only work certain shifts because of childcare? is that considered a restriction?
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Zainab Mahmoud
•Yes, that could be considered a restriction. You might still qualify but you'd need to show you're genuinely seeking work within your available hours and that there are reasonable job opportunities during those times.
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Raj Gupta
ugh the whole form is confusing, took me like 3 tries to get it right and i still had to call them to fix stuff. make sure you double check everything before submitting because going back to change things is a nightmare
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Ingrid Larsson
•Oh no that's exactly what I'm worried about! How long did it take them to fix the issues when you called?
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Raj Gupta
•forever. could never get through on the phone, kept getting busy signals or hung up on. ended up using this service called claimyr.com that helped me get connected to an actual NYS Department of Labor agent. they have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. saved me so much frustration
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Lena Müller
The wage information section trips people up a lot. You'll need to provide details about all employers from the last 18 months, including dates of employment and reason for separation from each job. If you worked multiple jobs or had gaps in employment, make sure to account for everything accurately.
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TechNinja
•What if I can't remember exact start dates from a year ago? I have my W2 but it doesn't show when I started.
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Lena Müller
•Do your best to estimate - the NYS Department of Labor will verify with your employers anyway. Check old paystubs, tax documents, or even your social media if you posted about starting a new job. Close approximation is better than leaving it blank.
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